Black powder composition



Patented Sept. 26, 1933 I i BLACK POWDER COMPOSITION Benjamin Austin Gillie, Woodbury, N. J., assignor to E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application March 4, 1930 l Serial No. 433,186

8 Claims. (01. 52-17) This invention relates to a form of explosive small percentages of oil, the speed reduction will of the black powder type, and more particularly be slight, while with larger percentages a greater to an improved composition of black powder in reduction in the speed of burning will be obwhich the velocity of combustion has been matetained. rially decreased. Various methods may be used for incorporat- 60 Black powder is an explosive that has long ing the above oil in the black powder mixture. been known and used, andits general composi- It may, for example be added directly, by mix- -tion over a long period of time has not changed ing the desired amount with the other ingredients substantially. The usual ingredients entering of the black powder tinder the wheels. Another 10 into its composition are potassium or sodium niway of adding the oil to the powder would be to 65 trate, sulfur, and charcoal. Prior to the present dissolve the oil in avolatile solvent, and then invention, a representative composition of black spray the mixture on the powder before final powder has comprised, for example, 72% potasmixing. I prefer however, to add the oil to the sium nitrate, 10% sulfur, and. 18% charcoal. black powder in the form of an emulsion with Black powder is generally classified as a lowwater-l This emulsion may, or may not, contain 70 velocity or deflagrating explosive, as distinmore than one oil, or may contain some other guished from the high-velocity, detonating exingredient forthe purpose of further stabilizing plosives, known as dynamites. This characterthe emulsion. Such an emulsion may be added istic low velocity of black powder is due to the to the other ingredients of the powder and 20 fact that the "black powder contains no ingredi- (wheeled in with them.

cut that is explosive in itself, and that an ex- In order to illustrate a specific embodiment of plosiveis formed only when an intimatemixture my invention more fully, without in any way is made of the separate ingredients that are in limiting the scope of the invention, the following themselves non-explosive. example is given of a fuse powder composition Notwithstanding the fact that low velocity is according to my invention:

a characteristic of the black powder type of explosives, the different uses of black powder make Potassium a desirable a control of the velocity that will allow Su1f 65 the use of faster or slower powders, as desired. Charcoal 21.0 Various methods have been used'heretofore for Castor Oil 05 obtaining increased velocities of combustion.

My invention relates to black powder composi- 100.0

tions, and particularly to powdersto be used in fuse. For such a purpose, it is desirable that a Whlle h above example contams s s 35 powder be obtained that will burn at a slow rate nitrate, it should be understood that this nitrate and whose t of burning is capable of very can be replaced by other nitrates, for example, d n t nt while a s1ow..burnjng Dowder sodium nitrate, which is the usual oxidizing incan be obtained by mere adjustment of the pergredient in b ck blasting powder. centages of the oxidizing and reducing agents in The effect of the use Of an as d b 4 the black powder, I find such a means t above, in lowering the velocity of combustion of factory, beyond a t i i t, I fi d a more a fuse powder composition is very evident. To satisfactory and uniformly slow-burning powder determine this delaying efiect quantitatively, I to be obtained, by the introduction t th find it satisfactory to fill alength of lead fuse with powder, as an ingredient, of a small percentage the powder to be tested. This fuse is then rolled 45 of an oil. Various kinds of mineral, animal and down until, it has a diameter of approximately vegetable oils may be used for this purpose; for 0.15 inches. Under such conditions of testing, I example, various mineral lubricating oils, cottonfi d the time Of burning Of One foot of y seed oil, etc. However, I prefer to use castor proved p d containing Castor to oil. While eiIective amounts of this oil may be be 57 seconds, against 42 seconds for the same 50 i troduced, varying considerably in percentage, length of fuse powder, of similar composition but I flnd the use of quantities varying from 0.1% containing no speed-reducing oil. vto 2.0% by weight to give the desired results, As many apparently widely different embodiand I preferably use 0.5%. The degree of rements of this invention may be made without tardation of the burning speed will depend on departing from the spirit thereof, it is to be 55 the amount of oil used. For example, with very understood that I do not limit myself to the foregoing examples or descriptions except as indicated in the following patent claims:

I claim:

1. A black powder composition having its rate of combustion retarded by means of an ingredient comprising a solution of a high viscosity, nondrying vegetable oil. I

2. A black powder composition having its rate of combustion retarded by means of an ingredient comprising a solution of a non-drying vegetable oil having an absolute viscosity at 40 C. greater than 0.50 dynes per sq. cm.

3. A black powder composition having its rate of combustion retarded by means. of an ingredient comprising a solution of castor oil.

4. A black powder composition having its rate of combustion retarded by means of an ingredient comprising an emulsified castor oil.

5. The process of retarding the rate of combustion of a black powder composition which comprises incorporating in the powder. a solution of ,a high viscosity, non-drying vegetable oil. 

